Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-05
LIFE IN SIBERIA.
How People Live in the Coolest In
habiled spot I'm the Globe.
AN INTERVIEW WITH LIEUT.. W. n. sCHEUTZE OF THE |
UNITED STATES NAVY, WHO HAS RECENTLY RE- |
TURNED FROM A MISSION TO NORTHERN SIBERIA.

| habiled Spot I'm the Globe.
| AN INTERVIEW WITH LIEUT.. W. n. sCHEUTzE OF THE
| UNITED STATES NAVY, WHO HAS RECENTLY RE-
TURNED FROM MISSION TO NORTHERN SIBERIA.
From the Philadelphia Press.
| Lieut.. w. H. Scheutze, OF the United States
navy, who was sent to the Lena Delta in north
| western Siberia to deliver to the natives gifts
| from the government OF the United States to re-
pay them for the aid they rendered him in his
search Tor the missing members of the Jeanette
party, mas recently returned from there. He says
the town OF Veroynsk, Siberia is the coolest inhab-
1ted spot In the world The thermometer stood
eighty-six below zero when he was there, and he
says IL seldom goes above fifty below. asked
MIN the other day what the people did who lived
at this bhssful spot; what they had to eat and
how they liked It,
why he replied, "they think it is pretty
| good sort OF climate Home Sweet Home is the
song all the world over and if the Veroynskers
SnOulo come here they would wonder what people
Iba ~epe IL Is so hot They would smother IN
Arcuc gale; lis wonderful the amount of cold
human nesh can endure. The natives OF TERRA
0el Fuego go stark naked the year round, and In
their country it freezes every night. 1t is much
colder In the Lena Delta yet the people manage to
seurvy than from the enects of the intense cold.
You SELDOM hear OF anyone freezing to death, and
then It is only those who expose themselves i'm
RIuae1ty: More people are frozen TO death in the
United States than in SIBERIA
HOW THE NATIVES WARN THEMSELVES.
"But how do they manage to keep warm?"
sven, In the first place the Yakuts are an en-
during race and are born in that climate. Their
h0nses are quilt Of logs smeared over on the out
size ana inside with mud In each cabin is large
fireplace, which Is used for both heating and cook
ing Inere Is seldom more than one room in
these cabins. and usually the owners cattle, If he
has any, occupy one end Of the room in which he
lives, being Tied or prevented from trampling on
the babies by bar The houses are commonly
q r " dfrtV
-tnere Is no word to describe it. Often until
g0t USED it would rather lie down in the snow
outside, with the thermometer so degrees below
zero, than sleep in one OF these huts-
Have they windows in their houses 2"
les, ice windows. They use ice as we use glass.
clear piece is selected, about five or six inches
thick, morticed In the window opening in blocks
Two ieet: ana sometimes as large as four feet
Is as good as putty. When the window becomes
dirty they scrape it of with knife, and when it
has been Scraped thin they substitute new pane.
doesn't the window ever melt ?'
bless you, no; it is freezing cold that far from
nme n re- III the room ever got warm enough to
they go to bed?"
Always. They strip to their shirts, which are
our canvas. The men and women wear the same
Ilnd OF garment, and never have more than one at
time. took up lot of thick flannel for them,
enough to last the rest of their lives and 1t will be
great deal more comfortable than the native
STUN although they don't like it at first. When
side OF the house, sometimes a man, his wife and
all his children in the same bunk. They have REIN
the same hanging BEFORE the hunks The last
man or woman to undress hangs all the clothing
OF tne rest out doors over pole that is kept for
tnat purpose.
"What is that fOr?"
'sTo freeze the lice. They couldn't live If they
didn't do 1t, and 1t has become national custom.
The lice get into the fur and that is the only way
to get them out. BY hanging their clothes over
sne pole every night they can keep reasonably free
f1r lie I'm, vrayf
day"
''Do they ever bathe?"
'sNever in their lives; they haven't any word for
bathing in their language and the impOssfblity of
keeping clean is one OF the greatest hardships of
'sWhat do they eat?"
"Reindeer meat, beef-they have cows queer
looking animals about hall as large as ours, with
hummock on their backs like a camei-tish.
bread made OF black rye flour tea and an Imported
1000 made of chopped beef rolled into balls about
me ys sze e OF marble and covered with dough.
Mixed Win reindeer meat it makes good soup.
They often eat their fish raw. OF course they
freeze solid as soon as they are taken out of the
Mater ana the native, particularly II he is On the
road, cuts them off in shavngs thin as our
Clipped def and eats them raw. They are pala-
table and have lived for days at time on them.
with cup OF tea made over an alcohol lamp by
way of variety. The greatest luxury they have is
butter, and they will eat it by the pound as our
made from the milk OF the native cow that looks
and tastes more like cheese, and they prize it
above all other classes OF food.
AuCh III LIN ID euC huSoIdu NOUkd, ALMOST pure
alcohol and they will trade their shirts for it. The
liquor Is scarce and expensive, SO they are neces-
sarily temperate people,"
SHOW do the political exiles live, and how many
are In the country?"
"a great many-several in every settlement.
when an exile is sent into the country the govern
ment determines where he shall reside
and requiQS him to report his whereabouts
at frequent intervals. They live as the natives do
receive so much year from the government for
their support, and work at their trades II they
have them, and ii they haven't, get such jobs as
they can. In other provinces the exies work In
the mines. At VerOy ansk saw an exile who had
beenh lawyer and judge in Russia doing carpenter
work, and all the tool ne had was an axe / took
up some presents for several exileS who had been
OF service to the jeanette party but had to obtain
the permission OF the governor before could de-
liver Them